Part III : The Crown of Goodness : Chapter 11 : § 2.1-3

Chapter 11 : The Tenth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Goodness of the MOTHER OF GOD

She is the Consolation of the Afflicted

Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr François Poiré’s Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac (Poggi, 2020)

§ 2. The Holy Virgin is Help of the hopeless 

 1   It sometimes happens that we have a physical illness or injury which at first seems nothing but if neglected it can get worse and lead to big problems. The same can happen to our souls. Being pricked with a thorn or a needle, for example, can lead to an infection of the wound, complications with the humours[1], an inflammation, an abscess and finally the stage where gangrene sets in, leading to death unless drastic surgery is performed. Another example is what we can see almost daily when what looks like a wisp of steam or smoke rises into the sky and then joins with others in mid air blocking out the sunlight from the earth; or even developing into a storm with thunderbolts and flashes of lightning, threatening to bring everything crashing down; just as though God had given the enemy secret permission to become involved and, as frequently happens, the results can be tragic and even fatal. This gives us an idea of what can happen when a person’s heart is betrayed and overcome by dark feelings of doubt and fear. At the beginning there is nothing much, but little by little the understanding is clouded, the will is overcome, reason is eclipsed, all the soul’s feelings are disrupted and the dark feelings take over everything. This creates perfect conditions for the Prince of darkness to exploit, creating such spiritual confusion and disruption that a person can find himself in extreme distress and sometimes on the edge of despair. What hope can there be of providing help to this poor soul, closely besieged by the evil one who seems to have blocked off every escape route? Someone all powerful is needed to come to the rescue and raise the enemy’s siege. This is where the Mother of mercy comes into the picture, and according to the saintly Cosmas of Jerusalem[2] she has all the power of God Himself at her disposal. Without her intervention, I see no hope of deliverance; but once she lends a helping hand, there is nothing whatsoever to fear, for she is never closer to her children then when all seems to be lost. She cherishes them in their extreme necessity and, when they no longer have power to help themselves, she takes them into her arms, giving them strength and fortitude. People truly come to understand her worth when they find themselves in great need of help and then they learn just how faithfully she has remembered even the least little services they rendered to her.  

Footnotes

[1] In ancient and medieval physiology and medicine: any of four fluids of the body (blood, phlegm, choler, and so-called melancholy or black bile) believed to determine, by their relative proportions and conditions, the state of health and the temperament of a person or animal.

[2] Hymno 6.

 2   Some forty years ago[1], a young man experienced this in the Spanish province of Toledo.

He was just a poor shepherd with a heart singularly devoted to the MOTHER OF GOD whom he wished to serve and honour to the best of his ability. In particular, he had consecrated his chastity to her as being the best gift that he could offer her. The enemy of all that is good found this intolerable and launched such fierce attacks against him that he was almost at his wits’ end. His mind seemed to be plagued by improper thoughts and horrific images whilst his body too experienced dreadful torments. Faced with these extraordinary trials and struggles, he felt his only recourse was to prostrate himself before the Holy Virgin whom he had chosen for his Mother.  Since he had placed all his trust in her after God himself, he implored her not to allow one of her own to fall into the predatory hands of the enemy. Satan was furious to see how a simple shepherd could have so much trust and virtue. When he noticed how he was persevering in this prayer, he redoubled his attacks so insistently that finally the shepherd’s heart was filled with distress and sorrow.  

This provided a first opportunity for the enemy who, with all the cunning of a fox, appeared at the shepherd’s side in disguise. He proceeded to ask in a seemingly discreet manner the cause of the sadness he could see on the young man’s face. After a short conversation, he finally bared his heart and explained the cause of his distress. In his assumed role of friendly confidant, Satan reassured him that there was no reason to be so troubled since God pays no heed to our private thoughts and the feelings we have in our hearts, provided they are not translated into sinful actions. Far from finding any relief in this and similar conversations, the young man noticed his troubles grew steadily worse as each day passed. On the one hand, his poor heart was so distraught that he was at a loss as to how he could regain peace of mind; and on the other, his mind faced a series of assaults by terrible fantasies, each one of which threatened to overwhelm him. The one thing, however, that made him feel truly ensnared and beyond any hope of consolation was that he felt entirely to blame for having consented to the evil promptings of the enemy. Whilst he was in this pitiful state, the tempter returned to the attack, but this time he presented himself under a different aspect: for with his deep-set eyes, his pale and drawn countenance and his sober demeanour, he would have been taken for a man of considerable experience, worn out by long years of patient study. The shepherd then took part in what he thought was a wise and measured conversation. He was so upset that he scarcely knew what he was saying or doing when he innocently revealed the pain he had been suffering. The tempter had a grave and severe look on his face when he replied that the young man was in a very bad way and beyond any hope of obtaining pardon for his sin. 

“But what can have been meant,” asked the young man, “when I heard it preached so frequently that there is forgiveness for every sin?”

“You had better believe what I’m saying,” replied the Devil, “since just as I have no wish to deceive you, so too you must be in no doubt that the long years I have lived and the books I have studied have given me sufficient knowledge of the truth in this matter. I cannot conceal from you that God has indeed given us a remedy to repair this sort of fault and to return to his good graces, but I did not want to tell you about it at first forasmuch as it is hard and may be beyond your power. Nevertheless, since you want to know, I can tell you that the remedy is martyrdom.”

To the extent that this old liar had lift a glimmer of hope that he might be healed, the shepherd was most anxious to learn more and therefore he asked what sort of martyrdom he was talking about. 

“I shall keep nothing from you,” replied the devil. “This sin can be expiated only by offering your own life; but it is true that you have a choice between three kinds of death: you can hang yourself in one of these trees, or you can die by fire, or you can drown yourself in the nearby lake.”

The conversation finished shortly after this and the devil took leave of the young man, leaving him more afflicted in the spirit than ever before. For on the one hand, he feared lest this might be an illusion and the gentle remedy of salvific penitence, which he had so often practised, came back into his thoughts. On the other hand, he felt he would never be able to bear the shame he would face for confessing such a dreadful sin. Death seemed a harsh solution to him but his fear of being confounded terrified him still more and held the greatest sway over him. In the end, he resolved to choose death by fire as being the simplest option. He collected a bundle of dry wood and began to build his pyre. To what extremity will a troubled spirit not be reduced, especially when hounded remorselessly by an enemy? When everything was ready, he set fire to the wood and walked right into the middle of the flames; but the Mother of mercy had no wish to see someone who had shown her such heartfelt love and service perish in this manner. Without allowing herself to be seen, she extinguished the flames. From his position in the middle of the pyre, this made the shepherd's spirits sank in despair, and he became angry with himself about the wood he had chosen. He tried to light it again but the Holy Mother extinguished it once more. He was so impatient to meet his death in order to be delivered from the distress pressing upon him that he determined to try a third time. On this occasion, the fire took hold more easily but at this point the Mother of gentleness, whom he scarcely knew now, appeared to him as a venerable Lady robed in white and she drew him out of the midst of the flames by main force. 

 When this happened, the young man felt in two minds : on the one hand, it seemed that Heaven did not wish to consent to his death; but on the other, he could not rid himself of the thoughts the evil one had placed in his head. Troubled at heart and weary in body, he sought rest by sitting on a tree trunk, his gaze still fixed upon the pyre. Whilst she was deep in thought, his advisor returned and asked him why he looked so desperate. The young man replied that he had tried the option of death by fire but that his plan had not succeeded. 

“It would seem, said the evil one, that God’s will is not that you should purge your sins through fire but rather that they should be washed away with water. Can you see the lake that I mentioned earlier? There you will assuredly be able to wash away all the sins on your soul.”

There was nothing so difficult that this poor man would not attempt in order to be rid of the sin he believed he had committed. In order to free himself from the sorrow that overwhelmed him, he hastened towards the lake, thinking that he could not arrive there too soon. Just as he was about to go into the water, however, he remembered that he had not yet paid his daily tribute to the MOTHER OF GOD. Accordingly, he knelt down and recited his rosary most devoutly, imploring her to help him in his necessities. When he had finished his prayer, he took off his smock and placed it next to his shoes at the water’s edge. He then plunged into the water and swam to the deepest and most dangerous part of the lake to hasten his drowning. There, he even opened his mouth, in an attempt to bring about his watery death as quickly as possible.

Dear Mother of gentleness, the time hath come for thee to intervene – it’s now or never. Thou must show this poor young man that he has not served thee in vain!

 

Here she comes now, running, and I can see her walking on the waters and arriving just in time to prevent his death. She grabs him by his shirt and takes him back to the shore. After giving him some words of encouragement and sound advice, she departs, leaving him utterly astonished at her kind-hearted action. He is now filled with hope of obtaining pardon for his sins which he is to wash away with tears of contrition in the sacrament of penance. He now realises such tears are more efficacious and pleasing to God than the watery bleakness to which his despair had taken him.  

Footnotes

[1] Franciscus Bencius, in Annalibus ; In Historia Montisserati, mirac. 116 et 255.

 3   No matter how widely and effectively the mercies  of the MOTHER OF GOD may be broadcast; even if the four corners of the universe were to resound with the wonders of her goodness; even if the whole world were to be employed in preaching the greatness of her generosity and the love which she has for those who honour and serve her – even all this would not do her justice. We would have to exhaust all the waters of the ocean and number the grains of sand on every shore to have some idea of the nature and extent of the tender love for us shown by the MOTHER OF GOD. 

To Him be glory for ever; and for the love of Him, honour be to her whom He hath pleased to make so great; and may we ourselves be granted the confidence to have recourse to her in all our necessities!    

[End of Chapter 11]

 

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

© Peter Bloor 2025